Analysis of Xxx

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)



I see thine image through my tears to-night,
And yet to-day I saw thee smiling. How
Refer the cause ?--Beloved, is it thou
Or I, who makes me sad ? The acolyte
Amid the chanted joy and thankful rite
May so fall flat, with pale insensate brow,
On the altar-stair. I hear thy voice and vow,
Perplexed, uncertain, since thou art out of sight,
As he, in his swooning ears, the choir's Amen.
Beloved, dost thou love ? or did I see all
The glory as I dreamed, and fainted when
Too vehement light dilated my ideal,
For my soul's eyes ? Will that light come again,
As now these tears come--falling hot and real ?


Scheme ABBAABBACDCECE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111011111 0111111101 010101111 111111010 0101010101 11111111 10101111101 01010111111 11011010101 0111111111 0101110101 11001010101 1111111101 1111110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 599
Words 114
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 457
Words per stanza (avg) 116
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
217

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. more…

All Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems | Elizabeth Barrett Browning Books

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